Allowance to AIS officers in Kerala rises sharply

Thiruvananthapuram: State govt sanctioned a new allowance for All India Services (AIS) officers serving in the state, sharply increasing the monthly benefits to senior bureaucrats. This could significantly increase govt's annual expenditure on AIS officers even as Kerala cites severe fiscal constraints.The order, issued by chief secretary on Sunday, introduced a new provision titled "Kerala AIS Allowance" with effect from March 1. The decision replaced the existing AIS officers' allowance and linked the new benefit directly to state govt's minimum daily wage rate.The change marked a steep increase in allowances to IAS, IPS and Indian forest service officers serving in state. In the earlier system, introduced in 2013 and revised in 2019, AIS officers received a monthly allowance to meet expenses related to engaging an office assistant, fuel for personal vehicles and domestic utility payments such as electricity and water bills. The amount ranged from Rs 2,900 per month for junior officers to Rs 11,400 for officers at chief secretary level and equivalent.The new system scrapped that structure and replaced it with a wage-linked allowance based on the minimum daily wage notified by state govt. According to the order, finance department revised the daily wage equivalent to Rs 19,170 per month in April 2025. Officers up to secretary level will now receive the equivalent of one daily wage worker, translating into an allowance of Rs 19,170 per month, while officers at principal secretary level and above — including additional directors general of police and additional principal chief conservators of forests — will receive the equivalent of two such workers, amounting to Rs 38,340 per month.In effect, the allowance jumped sharply from the earlier ceiling of Rs 11,400 per month. The order stipulated that the amount would automatically increase whenever state revised the minimum wage rate.The revision followed a representation submitted by IAS officers in June 2024 stating that the existing allowance became inadequate to meet their functional and domestic requirements. The representation pointed to increasing workload in the administrative system, the practice of holding multiple charges and the expectation of functioning round the clock in a digital governance environment. It cited difficulty in maintaining domestic support systems, particularly for officers with dependent children.The benefit will apply to AIS officers borne on Kerala cadre and those on deputation within state and those serving in public sector undertakings, statutory bodies and autonomous institutions under state govt. However, officers on central deputation, those working in organisations outside the control of Kerala govt, officers under suspension and those on unauthorised absence were excluded from the allowance.The exclusion raised technical questions within administrative circles. While officers on central deputation fell outside state govt's financial responsibility, officers under suspension continued to be members of the same All India Service cadre, raising questions about the rationale for denying them an allowance created specifically for AIS officers.The decision's financial implications weren't indicated in the order, though the revised allowance structure could significantly increase govt's annual expenditure on AIS officers, especially since the amount will automatically rise with every minimum wage rate revision."While the timing may appear similar to many liberal orders that surface just before elections, this was actually a long-pending and much-needed demand of AIS officers. We thank the chief secretary and officials of GAD and finance departments for getting this cleared," said an IAS officer.